we have expert tips to ensure smooth sailing. putting on the pressure. hillary clinton in the middle east right now, rushing to broker a truce after more than a week of intense fighting that did not stop overnight. sad day on "sesame street." the growing sex scandal surrounding kevin clash, forcing the voice of elmo to quit his job. and record-breaker. what a game this was, as a college hoopster scores an unbelievable 138 points. good morning, everyone. we begin with the busy travel crunch on this thanksgiving eve, almost, right? >> uh-huh. >> 140 million americans, hustling to or from home for the big feast. >> now, some weather woes are making it tough for one specific corner of the country. but the rest of us can give

thanks for a rain-free forecast. by planes, trains and highways, millions of americans are gearing up for what aaa has declared the busiest travel day of the year. a fierce weather system will make for tough travel in the northwest and northern california. but any flight delays aren't likely to ripple across the country. >> if there were to be a storm in chicago or in the northeast, you could count on mass chaos. but that does not look like it's going to be the case at all. >> reporter: in los angeles, not weather but a major airport worker protest will delay travelers there. passengers at l.a.x. are advised to give themselves a three-hour cushion at the airport. and an extra 90 minutes to get there. >> this is part of the fun of it all. to go fight the fight. fight the crowds. >> reporter: some important tricks for fliers this year. some airlines will allow you to avoid the baggage counter by tagging and checking your own bags, giving you a chance to, well, lose your own luggage. additionally, the tsa has a new precheck program this year.

sign up and you pass through a separate security line, with your laptop and your bag and your shoes right there on your feet. not everyone will be traveling by air. 39 million people are expected to drive to their thanksgiving dinner. aaa is advising them to hit the road before 7:00 this morning because by 5:00 p.m. the roads will be jammed. be sure to dial 511 for the latest traffic and road closures in your state. millions of people will also be riding the rails today. amtrak is adding extra trains on its most crowded corridors. and it's even borrowing some trains from canada to handle the holiday crush. and problems linger from hurricane sandy, including a shortage of rental cars in the northeast. the few cars left are going for hundreds of dollars a day. our other major news right now is a terror attack in tel aviv. an explosion on a city bus is injuring multiple people. someone placed a bomb on a bus and then fled. this attack comes as an urgent

diplomatic effort is still under way for a truce between israel and hamas. secretary of state clinton is there. and for details on their visit, we're joined by abc's lama hasan. >> reporter: good morning, rob. well, yes. we were expecting some kind of cease-fire deal to be announced. some kind of cease-fire plan to be announced late last night. but that did not happen. it did not come. and according to some hamas and egyptian officials, who have reportedly said that it was down to israel, who had requested more time. and they said that more talks would resume today. now, as you rightly said, the u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, she is in the region. she was meeting with the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, late last night. and standing shoulder-to-shoulder, she reiterated the u.s.'s unwavering support for israel to protect its citizens, for the citizens here to live in peace, and for hamas to stop firing their rockets into the southern israeli cities. this is what she had to say. >> the goal must be a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the

security and legitimate aspirations of israelis and palestinians alike. >> reporter: well, as we enter day eight of this conflict, dubbed killer of defense by israel, the bombardment is continuing on gaza. israel has shelled gaza from the air and from the sea, saying it hit strategic targets, including at least 50 underground launch sites. now, for their part, hamas has retaliated by firing at least two rockets from gaza, headed to southern israeli cities here. and what the israeli defense forces say are densely-populated areas. those two rockets were intercepted by israel's iron dome defense. rob and paula? >> lama, you just showed us that clip of the secretary of state clinton. how much of an impact is her presence, just her presence likely to make today? >> reporter: well, paula, that was the hope. that when secretary clinton was in the region, she would speed up the negotiation process.

she would speed up the talks. but it really is up to the two main players in this, the hamas officials, as well as the israeli officials. including egyptian officials, as well. egyptian president mohamed morsi, has been leading the truce talks. but the hope was that she would speed up the process. right now, we're still going down that diplomatic route. and we are trying to achieve a cease-fire from both sides. and a long, lasting cease-fire, is what israel said all along that they want to negotiate. they want a long-lasting peace deal with hamas. rob and paula? >> our thanks to lama hasan, live from jerusalem this morning. lama, thanks. we have more breaking news from overnight. the last surviving gunman from the mumbai terror attack has been executed in india. this photo of mohammed ajmal kasab striding through the train station on the day of the attack quickly became an iconic image. kasab was one of ten gunman who rampaged through the streets of

india's financial capital in november 2008, killing 166 people. and there was a taliban attack near a u.s. base in the capital of afghanistan overnight. two suicide bombers set off their explosives as they approached the base in kabul. two afghan security guards were killed in the explosion. and several civilians were hurt. police in indianapolis may be closer to finding out who was behind that deadly house explosion earlier this month. investigators have served search warrants at a nearby mobile home park and are questioning at least two people in connection with the case. dozens of homes were either damaged or destroyed in the blast, which killed two people, a couple. and weather news this morning. that northwest storm is still making it pretty tough to get around, after getting swamped with up to nine inches of rain. another wet and wild day is on tap from seattle to san francisco. >> and we get the details from accuweather meteorologist jim dickey. >> good morning, rob and paula. yet another storm system going

to be impacting the pacific northwest, as we head on through the day today. short sway in from offshore, it will keep rain in place. but this storm differs from monday's. and that is not the soaking, flooding rainfall we saw with that. it's bringing more in the way of cold air and more snowfall. in the cascades, the mountain passes will be difficult. ahead of the snow, keeping it mild in the nation's midsection, challenging record highs. rob and paula, back to you. >> thanks a lot, jim. conditions should be ideal in the nation's capital today, for the turkey that learns it will not be on the menu tomorrow. >> president obama will execute his annual duty of pardoning a turkey. the choice is between two 40-pound toms named cobbler and gobbler. they spent the night in washington's posh w. hotel. coming up after the break, why wait for black friday? retail deals are available today. we'll have the details. and then, the fate of the twinkie brand on the brink for the past week. but there are hopeful signs this morning. and the mall santa mishap.

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welcome back, everybody. another black eye for hewlett-packard this morning. the technology giant says it was cheated when it bought a british software company last year to the tune of almost $9 billion. h.p. says autonomy lied about its finances. but autonomy's former ceo is denying that. the fbi and other agencies in both the u.s. and the u.k. are now investigating. well, hostess brands may be liquidating, but its flagship product, the twinkie, may still live.

talks between the company and its second-largest union did not get anywhere yesterday. so, hostess will continue shutting down. but several companies seem interested in buying the company's assets, including flower foods, which makes tasty cakes. well, many kids this year are wishing for a i holiday. a nielsen survey finds that nearly half of all kids ages 6 to 12 want an ipad for christmas. other apple products were also on their wish list, as was the nintendo's wii u. older kids weren't as hot for the ipad or iphone. but other surveys say that's probably because they already have them. of course. if you're planning to do your holiday shopping online this year, the smart way, there's no need to wait until cyber monday to get the best deals. almost 97% of retailers are already offering discounts on their websites or will over the weekend. analysts expect a big increase in online shopping this year, thanks in large part to the increasing use of smartphones and tablets.

why deal with the stampede at walmart if you can do it online? that's where i'm at. just saying. >> and you're going to buy your first holiday gift on december 20th online. >> more like christmas eve. but thanks for the optimism. >> can you deliver tomorrow morning? >> that's right. next on this wednesday, major developments in the "sesame street" saga, including the voice of elmo. and police want to know who shot a boxing superstar? alright then, let's do this thing! this is no ordinary thanksgiving. sears black friday doorbusters start 8pm thursday, going all night with more doorbusters 4am friday. this is sears.

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but all you notice is her beautiful, healthy skin. jergens ultra healing moisturizer makes even your driest skin look healthier, instantly. with beautiful skin from jergens, you'll always make an entrance. jergens®. the beautiful difference. now, for a look at morning road conditions. wet highways around seattle, portland, san francisco, and boise. snow-covered mountain passes in the northwest. slick roads along the eastern coast of florida. and thick, morning fog could hamper visibility in the upper midwest. >> if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in san francisco, seattle, chicago and detroit. what is the end of an era on "sesame street."

the man who created the personality of beloved muppet, elmo, has resigned. >> for the second time in just a week, a man has come forward to accuse elmo puppeteer, kevin clash, of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior. cecil singleton is a 24-year-old college student who is suing kevin clash for $5 million. singleton says he met clash on a gay chat line when he was 15. and for a two-week period, they had sexual contact but no intercourse. and he insists he told clash exactly how old he was. >> i remember confessing to him when we were eating that i wasn't 18. but that i would be turning 16 in the near future. >> reporter: singleton claims he did not know what clash did for a living until much later on. and he decided to come forward only after hearing that another man was accusing clash of engaging in underaged sex. >> if i had known that this was a reoccurring thing or that i wasn't special and this wasn't a unique circumstance, i would

have said something much sooner. >> reporter: clash has not addressed this latest allegation specifically. but he says he's resigning to resolve what he calls personal matters. as for elmo's future, sesame workshop says the popular muppet is bigger than any one person. and several puppeteers are already trained as stand-ins for clash. and hasbro, the maker of elmo toys, is confident sales will not suffer. but one estimate, elmo toys account for anywhere one-half to two-thirds, of the $75 million of annual sales of the "sesame street" toy line. the first man who claimed he was 15 when he had sex with kevin clash has since recanted. he said the relationship was adult and consensual. and then, he recanted that. the son of the late robert kennedy has been cleared of child endangerment and harassment charges. douglas kennedy was accused of trying to leave a suburban new york city maternity ward with his 2-day-old son last january.

nurses also claimed kennedy injured them as they tried to prevent him from leaving. top doctors are trying to make birth control pills a little more accessible. the nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists says the pills should be sold over the counter, just like condoms. that also means it would no longer be covered by insurance. despite the recommendation, no one expects nonprescription birth control pills to be available anytime soon. former boxing champ hector "macho" camacho is hospitalized but expected to survive after being shot in the face in puerto rico. police say camacho was sitting in a car near san juan, when at least one gunman opened fire. another man in that car was killed. camacho has had a series of legal problems since the prime of his career back in the '80s. time for some sports news on this wednesday morning. we have the latest, now, from espn news. >> randy scott here with your espn update. we start with one of the best sports stories of the year. jack taylor.

a sophomore at grinnel college in iowa. all taylor did was drop 138 points last night in a 179-104 win over faith baptist bible. that's a new ncaa record. for a kid who took 108 shots in the game. kobe bryant said he was impressed. how about lakers highlights? mike d'antoni making his lakers debut. fresh off knee surgery. there's kobe bryant. with 25. fighting the double-team in the third quarter. the fourth quarter, tied at 77-77. that's daryl wallace going the other way. stealing the slam to the net. a two-point lead. later in the fourth quarter, kobe to pau gasol, to dwight howard. howard, 23 and 15 for a double-double. and then, kobe would take over late, with over two minutes left. somehow gets the zero-angle runner to fall. 95-90, the lakers win in d'antoni's debut. nets and hornets. new york, carmelo anthony, 7-1. no anthony davis.

out with an ankle injury. could have used him. that's anthony, laying it in. jason kidd, to carmelo, knocking down the three. and then, melo, driving. somehow gets that to go. bucket and a bonus. 8 of 9 in the first quarter and 19 points in that first frame. 23 at the half. knocking down a jumper in the second, there. we go to the third. it's kidd, to raymond felton. the point guard helping the point guard. knocking down a three. knicks have a big lead. and it's a lafer late. anthony, over ryhan anderson. the knicks improve to 8-1. they win 102-80, your final. i'm randy scott, this has been your espn update. have a great day. >> a pretty extraordinary basketball story coming up in a second. up next, "the pulse." and it all goes wrong when santa attempts some moves from "mission impossible." and he is truly a big man on campus, after scoring 138 points in a single game. [ lisa ] my name's lisa, and chantix helped me quit.

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it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. it worked for me. it's "go" time.. this is no ordinary thanksgiving. sears black friday doorbusters start 8pm thursday, going all night with more doorbusters 4am friday. this is sears. five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. before you begin an aspirin regimen. she doesn't even though our really get us. and she'll never know who we are, or what... no way, madden girls?? nike!

who's your mommy now? famous brands. famously easy. famous footwear. victory is yours. it is time to check "the pulse," stories you're going to be talking about today. get your form. get your form for this story. >> yeah. >> the basketball player from iowa, who found a convincing way to end his shooting slump. jack taylor poured in 138 points, shattering the ncaa record. i believe you had the record previously, right? >> yes, and one. the grinnel college student made 27 of 71 three-point attempts. 52 of 108 overall from the field. and added 7 free throws on 10 attempts in 36 minutes. incredible. we will hear from the

remarkable, young fella, coming up later on "good morning america." he is riding high. i played basketball for six years. >> a lefty. >> i'll take it to the hole. >> take it to the house. pictures reveal a shockingly skinny matthew mcconaughey. have ignited a lot of rumors. but now, he is setting the record straight. >> he says his drastic 38-pound weight loss was deliberate for a role as an aids patient, in a film due out next year. he says dropping those pounds was no picnic. >> lost 38 pounds. i feel good now. overall, probably got 35% less energy. but there's been -- the tough part has been plateaus. once you get past the plateau, your body seems to understand, okay. this is where we're living now. >> he says, once he finishes shooting the movie, he plans to scarf down a half-pound cheeseburger. make it a double, triple. >> a different matthew mcconaughey than what we saw in "magic mike." things have changed.

all for the role, i guess. usually, santa comes down the chimney, of course. but sometimes, you have to make do. >> worse than santa getting run over by a reindeer. at this chimney-free mall in england, santa descended from a skylight, but he gets stuck. his beard tangled in the rope. and he dangles in the air for the next 40 minutes. >> that's a long time, santa. finally, a member of the british military had to step in, or in this case, slide down, so that he could perform a beard-ectomy and send santa on his merry way. poor santa. >> he's taking away his santahood. >> that's why i stay clean-shaven. it's easier that way. for some of you, your local news is next. >> stay with us, everybody. ♪ ♪

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>> next, a search for a missing man comes to a tragic end. crews pull his body -- issues facing travelers as they hit the skies and roads. good morning. here's a look at live doppler, tracking significant rain for the morning commute and if you are trying to get around californto denver. and the northwest storm is also going to bring rain to the dakotas and boise. well, the all-star season of "dancing with the stars" is heading into the finals. and for the first time ever, the last dancers are all women. >> thank you, rob. despite some stellar scores, millions of viewer votes could not save the last two male stars standing. kabc's george pennacchio has the highlights. >> apolo and karina. >> reporter: apolo anton ono and

his partner, karina, were among the finalists to go. they enjoyed the meet struggles and beating them. >> we put in so much hard work that no matter what the scores were, no matter what the result was going to be, i was proud of what we accomplished. >> emmitt and cheryl. >> reporter: minutes later, football champ emmitt smith and his partner, cheryl burke, saw their dreams dashed for any mirrorball repeat. >> this is a competition. and you always have to ask yourself, did i give it my all? and i can look her square dead in the eyes and tell her, i give it all i could give. season three was one thing. but this season, you start talking about the contestants that i competed against, come on. how can i be disappointed? how can i? >> reporter: now, it's down to the women. olympic champion sean johnson. soap star kelly monaco. and tv personality, melissa rycroft. >> once i get over this flu bug

thing and we're a force to be reckoned with. >> i'm looking forward to doing an amazing freestyle. i can't wait to talk to him to think -- to start going over ideas and see what he has in store. i don't know. put everything on the table. and go for it. >> it means a lot more than i try to put on. and a lot of people to know. i'm very competitive person at the moment. and getting that far would mean the world to me. >> reporter: you'll see one more week of all-star dancing when the finale kicks off monday night here on abc. in los angeles, george pennacchio, for abc news. >> good luck, ladies. pennacchio, for abc news. >> good luck, ladies. >> my bet's on the ladies captioned by closed captioning services, inc. good morning on this wednesday at